Tamedia in the year 2008
At the occasion of the «Dreikönigs-Tagung», the so-called Epiphany Conference in Zurich, Pietro Supino, president of the Board of Directors, announces that the founding family of today's Tamedia AG has extended its stockholder binding contract until the year 2017 and that the share of freely traded stocks will be increase to approximately 33 per cent in the next years. The share of stocks committed in the stockholder binding contract will be 67 per cent on a long-term basis. The same day, some 300 members of the management meet in Zurich at the New Year’s Cocktail Reception of Tamedia – this event is the first occasion ever with the new colleagues from Berne being welcomed as well.
The editorial staff of the Berner Zeitung moves to the newly renovated offices in the multimedia house at Dammweg on 19 January. The first and unique crossmedia News Desk of the Berner Zeitung and the internet portal espace.ch starts operation the same day.
Tamedia announces on 21 January that Pierre-André Schmitt becomes head of the editorial staff of the automobile and motorcycle magazines on 1 July. He starts working with these special interest publications in spring 2008. In a first phase he will define the new strategy for the Mobile special interest publications in close co-operation with the commercial manager Lorenz Brügger. As of 1 July he replaces Max Nötzli, present editor-in-chief of the Automobil Revue.
At the Tages-Anzeiger’s Dolder Meeting on 29 January at the Schiffbau theatre and event location in Zurich, Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxemburg, holds a speech about «Governing – close to the middle». Many guests form the world of politics and business attend this meeting.
Tamedia announces on 22 February that 42 year old Karin Müller becomes new editor-in-chief, head-of-program respectively, of Radio 24. She will start her new job in April on the latest. She becomes successor of Markus Mager who was looking for new challenges after three years as editor-in-chief of Radio 24.
Four members of the previous management of the Thurgovian internet and multimedia agency Backslash take over the agency from Huber & Co. AG and continue the business independently as of 1 March. This management buy-out guarantees the ongoing support for present customers and allows further development of the services as i.e. the highly acclaimed eGovernment data base solution.
It is announced on 6 March that the Biel based Farbendruck Weber AG takes over the printing facility of Benteli Hallwag as of 1 June, and merges it with its own printing activities. Concentrating all printing activities at the Biel location allows to create the largest and most modern job sheet-fed printing facility in the Berne area. Benteli Hallwag, being part of the Espace Media Groupe and being specialised in job sheet-fed printing and commercial rotary offset printing as well as publishing services, logistics and crossmedia services, brings long-term customer relationship and the printing of more than 60 magazines and periodicals into the new company. 75 full time jobs as well as eight apprenticeship jobs are safeguarded on a long-term with this take-over. At the same time, 56 full time jobs and part-time jobs have to be cut. Early retirement is envisaged for further 13 employees.
Edipress and Tamedia increase their shares at homegate.ch from 16.5 per cent each to 45.0 per cent each. The two media corporations take-over of a majority share in homegate.ch has been agreed on already in 2004 and strengthens their online activities. homegate.ch is the most successful internet real estate website in Switzerland and has been integrated in the real estate ad platforms of the two media corporations for many years.
Markus Hegglin, editor-in-chief of the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, will take over full responsability as head of the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich AG as of 1 April. He becomes successor of Stephan Gartenmann who accepts new professional challenges and leaves Tamedia after 19 years. Daniel Fritsche becomes the new advertising manager, having been a member of the advertising sales staff of the Tages-Anzeiger up to now.
Rehne Herzig takes over responsibility as new commercial manager of the Mobile special interest publications as of 1 April. In this position the 54 years old graduate in business administration will be in charge of the reader and ad markets of the Mobile publications. Rehne Herzig was CEO of the real estate magazine Neue Ideen. The native-born Dane holded various management positions at Ringier’s magazines division, and was CEO of various companies of the Danish Egmont group as well.
The TV program guide TVtäglich is about to launch its internet TV guide. The newly developed guide, accessible via tvtaeglich.ch, offers a wide choice of program information, an overview listing some 70 TV stations, as well as a state-of-the-art search function. Movie reviews complement the site. User friendly menu functions guarantee an efficient navigation through the daily jungle of TV entertainment.
On 23 April Tamedia reports about the 2007 results. During the fiscal year 2007, Tamedia once again increased its sales by 17 per cent to CHF 772.0 million. The increase by CHF 114.1 million is in particular a direct result of the merger with Espace Media Groupe that took effect in the last quarter, as well as growth once again in job ad supplements of Tages-Anzeiger and in 20 Minuten. Net income recorded CHF 143.0 million, and reached the highest level in the corporation’s history. Espace Media Groupe, which since 1 October 2007 has been entirely consolidated, contributed to overall sales in the last quarter of the reporting year with CHF 69.0 million, and CHF 4.5 million to the EBIT.
Tamedia increases its share of the Swiss nightlife internet platform tilllate.com up to 35 per cent. The two partners agreed to intensify their fruitful co-operation and to raise Tamedia’s share earlier than foreseen. The planned increase of Tamedia’s share up to 49 per cent is set to take place early 2010. The website tilllate.com was launched in the year 2000 and records this April some 459’000 unique clients (wemf Net-Audit April 2008), some 200’000 users are registered on the site.
As of 1 June, Tamedia takes over a 15 per cent share in the start-up company eload24 AG which runs the websites eload24.com and ratschlag24.com. eload24.com features some 400 e-booklet guides featuring useful information about computers, mobile phones, cameras, family and kids, house and garden, food and health as well as leisure topics and money and insurance. Each year additional 250 e-booklets will be published. To meet the increasing demand for free information, eload24 complements eload24.com with a wide choice of free hints and tips and information on the website ratschlag24.com. A free newsletter service is part of this ratschlag24.com website.
As the Stadtblatt in Winterthur is about to be discontinued as of 8 June, the delivery and distribution company Zuvo has to be resized. The distribution network, having been extended in view of the Stadtblatt distribution job, has to be cut down and therefore some 7.3 full time jobs have to be cut as well, 82 staff members are hit by this move.
On 26 June, Tamedia announces that 20 Minuten is about to launch a new free people magazine in close co-operation with Annabelle and tilllate.com. Carrying the project name «20 Minuten Youngster», the new magazine will be published in a circulation of 137’000 copies and will be distributed each Friday via the 20 Minuten dispenser boxes and additional selected points of distribution. The magazine will be printed on high quality magazine paper and will count some 52 pages. The first edition of «20 Minuten Youngster» will be published on 31 October, carrying its definite name then. Marco Boselli is assigned editor-in-chief of the magazine, Kerstin Netsch and Sabine Eva Wittwer will head to 20 full time jobs editorial staff. Dominique von Albertini, today head of the Tages-Anzeiger reader’s market, has been assigned publishing director.
A large number of share holders visit the Annual General Assembly hold on 27 June at the Kongresshaus in Zurich. Pietro Supino, Iwan Rickenbacher, Andreas Schulthess, Karl Dietrich Seikel and Charles von Graffenried are elected to the Board of Directors for another three years. Pietro Supino is elected president of the Board of directors.
On 8 Juli, the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) has issued TeleBärn and Capital FM new licences valid until 2019. During fall 2008 both broadcasting stations will move into the multimedia house at Dammweg in Berne.
Newsnetz, the common internet news website of Basler Zeitung, Berner Zeitung and Tages-Anzeiger, is going online 8 August, right on time for the opening of the Olympic Games. The core unit is the editorial office in Zurich, providing the general information for all three partners. Some 40 journalists feed the website with news, background information and multimedia features. The new layout of bazonline.ch, bernerzeitung.ch and tagesanzeiger.ch pay tribute to the respective main paper design.
Tamedia announces on 13 August that the Regional-Zeitung Hinterthurgau which is distributed every Wednesday as a supplement to the Thurgauer Zeitung has to be discontinued as of the end of the year. Ongoing losses leave no alternatives to that decision. Talks with possible partners in view of continuing the newspaper show no results.
Labour regulations as well as pension funds are streamlined as a result of the Espace Media and Tamedia merger. The Espace Media staff members in Berne are informed about this project as of 18 August. These information meetings are hold until 25 August.
The 70th birthday of Annabelle is celebrated at the occasion of a dazzling party on 4 September. Right on time for this celebration, the largest Swiss women’s magazine publishes a special edition with more than 400 pages, highlighting the amazing history of Annabelle.
The daily talk show TalkTäglich of TeleZüri is rewarded with the 2008 Swiss Television Award in the «Regional» category. Markus Gilli and Hugo Bigi from TeleZüri are both on stage on 5 September at the Maag Festival Hall to receive the award on behalf of the entire team. The Swiss Television Award is presented for the first time jointly by the TV program guides Tele and TVStar.
9 September sees Tamedia’s semi-annual financial statement. The first time consideration of Espace Media Groupe and investments in new media projects distinctively define the results stated in Tamedia’s semi-annual financial statements for the first half of the year 2008. Business revenue increased by 32.1 per cent to 472.8 million. The lower profitability of the Espace Media Groupe and the high costs for launching L’essentiel, News and Newsnetz as well as the further expansion of 20minuten.ch resulted in a significant downturn in the margins. The EBIT margin is now at 14.5 per cent while it was at 18.7 per cent the previous year.
On 27 September, the private radio station Capital FM moves into its new studios at the multimedia house at Dammweg 9 in Berne – after having broadcasted from its old town location for some 20 years. Later that year in October, the private TV station TeleBärn follows Capital FM and moves from Wabern to its new premises at Dammweg 9 as well.
The NZZ group and Tamedia inform on 2 October that they plan to transfer all their activities in the early delivery of newspapers and magazines to the Swiss Post. A new company will be established whereof the Swiss Post will hold 75 per cent, the NZZ group and Tamedia 12,5 per cent each. At the same time, Tamedia is taking over the Räber Information Management GmbH from the Swiss Post. This company runs the website search.ch which is, being founded in 1995, the second most visited website in Switzerland.
Also on 2 October, Tamedia informs that the copy and print shop activities and all services involved of Schaer Thun at Uetendorf will be transferred to Schlaefli & Maurer in Interlaken. This company is the leading Bernese Oberland print, logistics and publishing services corporation. 11 out of 12 jobs can be safeguarded. Schaer Thun will concentrate on the prepress services for the Thuner Amtsanzeiger, being relocated to the Thun offices.
Tamedia informs on 24 October that the online activities are intensified and that therefore a share in the Switzerland operation of Zattoo is acquired. This co-operation with Tamedia will allow Zattoo to expand its internet TV platform which was establish 2006. At this time, some 800’000 users access the Swiss Zattoo platform.
On 30 October, a large number of celebrities, advertising customers, partners, and editorial staff members follow the invitation to the Escher-Wyss festival location to the launch party of the new people magazine 20 Minuten Friday.
The Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) has issued Radio 24 the new VHF licence valid until 2019. TeleZüri takes note of the decision not to issue a new licence for the oldest and most successful private television station in Switzerland, finding it incomprehensible. TeleZüri will review the option to appeal against the decision before the Federal Administrative Court in Berne, but also the prospects of broadcasting without a license.
alpha.ch and jobwinner.ch will become independent and united under the new brand Jobonline as of 1 November, and will become part of the Media Switzerland division. The job advertisement supplements Alpha and Stellen-Anzeiger will become part of the Tages-Anzeiger publishing department. At the same time, the organisation of the Tages-Anzeiger publishing department will be adapted, and the internal service department of the commuter newspaper News will be integrated into the internal service department of the Tages-Anzeiger.
On 6 November, the official opening of the multimedia house in Berne is celebrated with a large number of local celebrities, partners in the area of politics, business, and culture, and guests from the world of the Swiss media.
The online platform of Der Bund is released in its new layout on 10 November, being integrated into the Newsnetz internet news network. derbund.ch offers a extended choice of news, while the layout is designed to match the layout of the printed edition.
At the occasion of the National Daughter’s Day on 13 November, more than 40 daughters and sons at the Frauenfeld, Zurich and Berne location spend the day at the working place of their parents. In Zurich, a tour trough the editorial offices complement the day. In Berne, the young visitors have the chance to see the printing facility as well.
Peter Hartmeier announces on 19 November that he resigns as editor-in-chief of the Tages-Anzeiger in the year 2009. Already at the next General Assembly of the Huber & Co. AG in Frauenfeld, he is to become President of the Board of Directors, instead. After completing of the ongoing development process of the Tages-Anzeiger, he is also to become publisher of the Thurgauer Zeitung within the Nordostschweiz newspaper network.
On 2 December TeleZüri announces that it is planning to extend its transmission area within the next six months. In return, TeleZüri decided not to appeal against the negative licence decision made by the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), yet finding this decision incomprehensible
Some 300 employees celebrate on 11 December the official opening of the multimedia house in Berne. Charles von Graffenried, President of the Board of Directors of Espace Media, and Martin Kall, President of the Board of Directors of Tamedia, thanked all staff members for their support and patience during the construction phase with all its obstacles.